This Ain't Flyin', This Is Soarin'
by connor1701
Summary: Lame title, sorry. Set just after OIS but before BDM. Mal is patrolling his boat but isn't aware of who else could be awake as well. first chapter 2000 words. DISCLAIMER: This 'verse belongs to Joss Whedon, I'm just moving the pieces about my own way.
1. Chapter 1 Gambling With Kaylee

**Hey,  
I'm hoping to expand my first fanfic into a much bigger story.  
updates will be intermittent at best as I'm trying to juggle A-levels and driving tests as well. **

**Hit me up with reviews and let me know what you think.  
Thanks.**

**  
Chapter 1**

Captain Malcom Reynolds strode purposefully and silently through his ship, bright blue eyes taking in every detail as he passed from the steel grey and cold crew quarters into the warmer dark yellow of the dining area. He was dimly aware of the lights fading on slowly as the motion detectors responded to his unexpected presence in the room. When he checked his clock it was deep into the sleep cycle of the ship, roughly 3 A.M.

Mal took pause in the dining area, studying the stencilled on flowers Kaylee had painted about a year back. He ran one of his large hands through his short brown hair.

_Almost time for a trim, you're getting shaggy Reynolds _he thought to himself.  
He re-diverted his attention to the flowers. They were fading and starting to flake off the bulkhead but Kaylee would soon fix it. Mal permitted a smile for just an instant then he spun around, pulling his gun out of its holster at a noise from behind him and the bottom of his stomach fell out as he saw who was standing on the threshold watching him.

"Bwwagh!" Inara almost smiled at Mal's involuntary warrior like shock but was equally as shocked to have been caught watching him. He lowered the gun he had trained on her instantly. She recovered quickly and directed a smile so radiant at him that Mal was almost worried he'd get sunburned.

"Good morning Captain, it's a little early to be practising your war cries don't you think?" She said, teasing him lightly. She moved gracefully to the little stove and heated it to boil some water.  
Mal watched her as she walked across the room to the galley, her soft pink silk night gown whispering as she moved. He remembered the last time she had sneaked up on him when he was cleaning his weapons, she had induced a similar response from him even then. He looked at the deck sheepishly as he re-holstered his gun.

"Sorry for pulling my piece on ya, been a mite tetchy since Early.." He apologised to her. The very last thing he had ever wanted to do was aim a gun at Inara. It had been almost a week since Early had invaded Serenity and he had to patrol his ship at least twice a night still before he could find peace.

"I understand Captain, he shook us all up a little." She replied glancing up at him in surprise at the straight-forward apology. He'd been so jumpy after that incident that she was a little surprised no-one had been shot by accident yet, not that she would ever admit that.  
"Would you like some tea?" she asked, pausing in the act of reaching for a second cup and looking at him.

He was looking at her in with a far-off and thoughtful gaze and didn't appear to have heard the offer.

"Mal?" He looked up suddenly and shook his head to clear it. He grinned his crooked grin that turned her insides to jelly and nodded.

"Yes, please. I'm thinkin' a tasty, hot beverage served by a lovely lady such as you would do my nerves a worlda' good" He replied, watching Inara smile at the not-so-subtle compliment. Mal took his usual place at the table. He changed his mind and moved over to the couch in the little sitting area opposite the galley. He sat heavily and rubbed his eyes wearily groaning in discomfort.

Inara set Mal's tea in front of him and sat across the round table from him in the small armchair. There was a moment of silence as Mal collected his tea and took an exploratory sip, wincing in surprise. It was very hot.

"Yeoww, gorramit that's hot" He stated needlessly. He looked at Inara who had left her tea to cool before trying to drink it. She had pulled her feet under her and was watching him with amusement.

"Thanks 'Nara, can't tell ya how bad I was keenin' for this." He winked at her. Inara snorted, a very un-companion thing to do but she didn't mind at the moment.

"It's no problem," She started, looking down and scooping up her tea cup to warm her hands, "I'm just glad I'm not the only soul awake and in need of a drink." She took a sip and closed her eyes as the sweet tea tickled its way down.

Mal realised he was staring and cautiously sipped his tea again. It was refreshingly light and uplifting, if a little too sweet for him. He smacked his lips appreciatively. Inara looked at him again and had to look away lest she choke on her tea. She gulped it down and turned to look at Mal again, his head tilted back and his teacup balancing on his forehead. She chuckled softly.

"What the gúay are you doing Mal?" She asked barely controlling her mirth.

She realised, since she had told Mal that she was leaving, that although the captain was very jumpy and still prone to massive and unpredictable mood swings she was really enjoying the time they spent together. Tonight, she mused, was a perfect example. She felt perfectly at ease and the captain was doing nothing wrong or hurtful and she was almost laughing at everything he did. Except when he got shot or beaten, then it was never a laughing matter. She pushed the thoughts of him lying beaten and bleeding in the infirmary away and focussed on the handsome and downright perfect buffoon attempting to extricate his teacup from its perch without spilling it.

Of course he never managed it and less than a minute later they were in the infirmary. Inara was pretending to be angry at him while she looked for where Simon kept his cold compresses and Mal, sat on the chair, was protesting vehemently that he would have had it under control if he hadn't of started laughing.

"Honestly, can't take you anywhere Mal without some injury befalling you in one way or another. " Inara chided. She found a blue gel bag, wrapped it in a towel and pressed it to Mal's face. He jumped as it made contact with his slightly reddened skin.

"Bwwagh!" Mal pressed his hand onto the bag, forgetting that Inara's hand was still holding it. As Mal's hand rested on hers, all time seemed to slow to a stop. He looked deep into her huge, liquid eyes and saw the shining barrier, the wall she erected to shield herself.

Inara looked back into his bottomless eyes and saw pure feeling, fear, hope and anger. She moved close to him, her lips wanting to feel his but something changed in his eyes. Disappointment was the only thing she could see. She pulled back but left her hand under his.

"You're still protectin' yourself." Mal said quietly shaking his head at her look. "You miss my meanin', I ain't accusin' I'm just sayin'. It's good... I guess. For the best n'all"

Inara sighed. "I suppose you're right. It's... I'm..." She faltered, not quite knowing what to say. She had been thinking very, very hard over the last few days and nights and figured she may as well let Mal know what her plans were.  
"I don't want to leave Serenity, I love her too much to just run and abandon her and the family I have here." Mal looked for all the world like he had just had a heart-attack and been mortally offended at the same time. Inara blinked, taken aback. His eyes went flat.

"Before I even try to make sense of what you just said, let me make something one hunderd percent clear." He said, his voice taking on a threatening edge. This was not the response Inara was expecting.

"My boat ain't sly." He said maintaining his threatening demeanour for a few seconds until Inara's brow furrowed in confusion. He winked cheekily at her and laughed. Inara scowled but couldn't stay upset at the man now hooting with laughter.

"Touché Captain." Inara said, helping him out of the chair.

"Well it's fine if you want to stay. Stay just as long you wanna. I daresay lil' Kaylee will be more'n happy to find out your stayin'." Mal replied. They stood and faced one another preparing to go their separate ways once more.

"Goodnight Mal" Inara reached onto her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek and then retreated through to the cargo bay and up the metal stairs to her shuttle.

Mal had decided long ago that if Inara ever kissed him he would rather die before allowing himself stand there staring like a dolt, touching the place her lips had touched like some helpless romantic.

"Huh" Was all he could manage as he stared into the cargo bay like a dolt and touching his cheek like a helpless romantic.

Mal snapped out of it and ran up the stairs to the main corridor on the ship, had a quick look in the engine room to check the ships power plant. He moved on before he got hypnotised by the spinning engine. He walked back through the galley and dining area, stopping to wipe up a bit of tea he'd missed before. He finished that and carried on. He checked the access hatch that Early broke into the ship through and made sure Kaylee's improvised locking mechanisms were working.

He kicked open the hatch that lead to Kaylee's bunk and slipped down into her room. He took in the situation. He was surprised the young doctor wasn't in here. He made his way to Kaylee's sleeping form and gently shook her.

"Kaylee?" Mal asked softly. Kaylee nearly fell out of bed as she jumped in shock and rolled over to look at who had woken her. Mal felt a pang of guilt for scaring her like this but he figured it had to be done now.  
"Sorry little one, I didn't mean to scare ya none."

"Cap'n? What's wrong?" She asked, blinking her large eyes, words slurred from only just waking up. Mal crouched down so he was a little closer to her.

"How much do I owe you?" Mal asked in a flat voice. Kaylee looked at him dumbly for a few seconds, not understanding his meaning.  
"The bet we made? How much was it again?" Mal clarified. Kaylee's eyes went very wide as she smiled a smile of pure happiness as she finally understood.

"Cap'n! I... Well... that's just so.... Sweet!" Kaylee gushed, grabbing Mal into a massive hug.

"It was 20 Creds we finally 'greed on, weren't it?" She said after she had stopped giggling.

"Oh yeah, 'course, remind me never to bet with you" Mal said, grinning as he reached into a pocket of his dark shirt and unfolded a 20 credit note.  
"There y'are, lil Kaylee, now you get on back to sleep"

"Sháí sháí cap'n!" Kaylee said re-folding the note and putting it under her pillow. "g'night!" She called as Mal made his way up her ladder.  
"G'night" Mal called before he shut her hatch. He stepped over to his hatch, kicked it open and descended into his bunk. He stripped to his boxers, used the head, washed his hands and face then climbed into his bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Serenity had watched her captain and waited until he was asleep before she turned all the lights out and resumed her night cycle. Her clock read 3.32 A.M.


	2. Chapter 2 Badger Has A Job

**Chapter 2  
Continues approximately a week and a half after chapter 1. Hope you like it! **

"Aww hell cap, I din' mean that!" Jayne protested loudly as Mal advanced on him. Kaylee's crying could be heard ringing through the cargo bay and it wrenched at everyone's hearts to hear the normally optimistic young mechanic in pain.

Jayne's huge, muscled body was covered in sweat and oil. He'd been attempting to help Kaylee fix the engine when, all of a sudden, there was a loud bang, followed by a snap and all the lights went out as the strained G-line on the engine finally gave. Kaylee froze up at the sound of the bang and Jayne, frustrated about breaking the ship, snapped at her. Jayne knew he wasn't among the brightest of men even at the best of times but he instantly regretted what he said to the woman. He followed her as she fled from the engine room to the cargo bay trying to apologise about the engine and what he said when the captain and Wash had caught up to him. Now he was attempting to defend himself from the captain's harsh words and the rest of the crew's disapproving looks.

"Look, Kaylee, I'm sorry for bein' insensitive." He said to the mechanic, putting extra stress on the 'sorry'. Kaylee looked up and smiled through her tears.

_  
He wasn't a big brute underneath all that muscle,_ she figured.

As the rest of the crew gathered around Kaylee, Mal stopped inches from Jayne his eyes hard, looking him over as a viper might look over its prey however the fading burn on his forehead wasn't helping him much.

"What the ruttin' hell are you thinkin'!?" Mal hissed at him menacingly. "Early, River and Niska all put somethin' common into Kaylee and that common thing happens to be a dislike of firearms an' anythin' about them including the noise they make." Jayne nodded, understanding what Mal meant.

"Don't let this happen again, dong ma?" With that Mal walked over to where Book was comforting Kaylee. Jayne stalked off to the galley.

"Shepard?" Mal said to the elder, nodding at Kaylee. The older man smiled.

"She'll be OK, just give her time." He said as Inara wrapped her arms around the mechanic as she sat by the main door controls. Kaylee looked up at Mal.

"He's not horrible on purpose Cap'n, just don't think much 'bout what he says is all" She said, glancing in the direction Jayne went. She wiped her eyes and stood up.  
"Thanks Inara" She said quietly as the Companion's hands slid off her shoulders. She turned to face Mal.

"What happened to the engine, thought everythin' was fine with the inner workin's" Mal asked her softly.

"G-line broke, gonna need a new one. Should be able to get one from somewhere in this port Cap'n." She said wearily. "Glad it broke when we're on the dirt though, we'd a had no power for a controlled landin' if it broke in the air." Mal drew a breath.

"OK, well you get right on that as soon as you feel up to it Kaylee." She nodded and turned to go back to the engine room. Zoe marched up to the control panel and hit the release button, her dark skin glowing bronze in the lighting of the cargo bay.

"Sir, we got word from Badger, he's waitin' for us." She said in her perfectly calm voice.

Mal nodded adapting himself for 'captain role'.  
"About time too, right, Wash," The small blonde pilot perked up at his name, "You help Kaylee in findin' the parts she needs when she goes." Wash nodded and headed back up the stairs to the cockpit.

Mal then punched the intercom on the door control panel. Zoe checked her sawed-off.

"Jayne, we're movin' out, we need you down here mesh ong." There was a grunt in reply and Jayne re-appeared a moment later with his favourite weapon, a huge assault rifle he called Vera, cradled in his arms. Zoe rolled her eyes at the fire power that was bouncing in his arms as he moodily stomped down from the catwalk. Mal nodded to him and then turned to face the others.

"Simon, 'Nara, Shepard Book, y'all to mingle out 'n' about 'n' try to find us some halfway decent food 'n' whatever medicinal stuff you're needin'." Mal locked the doctor's eyes with an intense stare. "You best be keepin' River close doc, don't want her causin' trouble none." Simon nodded, recognising the concealed threat in Mal's stare.

"I'll keep her close, she won't touch anything." Simon affirmed, turning to follow Kaylee up to the engine room, brushing past Jayne on the way. Shepard Book walked forward and smiled.

"I'll keep this flock outta trouble as much I can Mal." He said, clapping his captain on the shoulder. Mal gave him a nod as he heard Jayne step out of the ship.

"Very well, see y'all later." He smiled to Inara, who gave him a smile in return. "M'lady" He said, bowing slightly by way of a goodbye. Mal spun and strode out of his ship into the bright Persephone sunshine with Zoe and Jayne flanking him.

The now familiar stench of the ass-end of the Eavesdown Docks assaulted Mal's nostrils as he, Zoe and Jayne strode toward the decrepit looking café that served as the entrance to Badger's lair. A huge black man with dreadlocks and a weapon almost as large as Vera served as the security to Badger's den. He leered at the trio as they approached.

"Malcom Reynolds," His deep bass voice rumbled, "He's expecting you, straight through, you should know the way by now."

Mal flipped him a coin and nodded, pushing aside the heavy canvas that covered the doorway. The guard deftly caught the coin with one hand and tucked it lovingly into a pouch on his shirt.  
The group walked through the dingy passage and through a solid looking metal door into a roundish chamber. Mal stopped in the middle of the chamber and glared at the little man stood leaning indolently on the large wooden desk in front of him. Badger touched the rim of his cap in acknowledgement of the group's arrival.

"Howdy strangers" He said, his lilting accent already annoying Mal.

"The hell you have us ruttin' drop and run to you for?" Jayne growled, shifting Vera slightly. Mal looked at Jayne and winked. He turned back to face Badger, who looked like he'd been physically slapped.

"I do believe my good mannered associate asked you a question." Mal said with a hint of humour playing in his voice. Badger pushed off from his desk and stopped just short of Mal.

"Well, if you stop talkin' out your pi gu for a second I'll tell ya where you can get us both rich, without streakin' for the gorram law-man!" Badger shouted prodding Mal in the chest.

"Wash! I think I found somethin'!" Kaylee shouted over the crowds milling around the busy port. _Serenity_'s pilot muscled his way through. He stopped, taking in the heap of spare parts for sale.

"I'm confused," he said honestly, "what am I looking at?" He asked Kaylee who was so giddy she was almost shaking.

"Engine tenders, G-line replacements, compression coils and synchronisers." She said, pointing to each part as she labelled them. She picked up a new G-line and a pair of synchronisers. She handed over a pouch of coins to the salesman and hauled her goods over her shoulder.

"Got everything you need?" Wash asked as he helped Kaylee manoeuvre through the crowd. She nodded.

"Everythin' but a clutch plate for the grav-boot. Should be fine though, it'll hold for years yet but you know..." She trailed off as they rounded a corner. They stopped for a minute and then carried on toward the docks where _Serenity _was waiting.

Simon didn't know how the captain did this. He felt dizzy after just a few minutes and was struggling to keep on any one train of thought as he walked with Inara to the more up-town areas where medicinal stores were likely to be found. There was definitely something about this woman that drove men into some kind of insanity.

"It was awfully nice of Shepard Book to offer to look after your sister while you're out." She said wrapping her shawl around her bare shoulders. The wind was much colder without the heat from the sun. As they walked through the district shaded by tall buildings Inara almost shivered but she managed to control it with very little concentration.

"Umm, yeah, yes it was. Very kind of him." Simon agreed, distracting himself further by looking for a sign for a drug store. He found one and pointed it out to Inara. He glanced at her. She was wearing a deep purple armless affair with very low neckline giving anyone who was looking a free viewing.  
_I guess Inara is pretty comfortable with her body to be able to show it off... _ He mused silently, walking at a steady pace to the store.  
_Well, work she does, I suppose she has to be... Stop thinking like that Simon, She's not yours to be thinking of! _ He berated himself. He had done his fair share of observing and knew very well that the captain and Inara were friends, after a very convoluted fashion.

"What are you thinking, you look very distracted." Inara asked.

Simon almost froze in panic._ GoSé! Think of something... anything! _

"Kaylee." He said, closing his eyes momentarily. Why had he said that?

"You want to know why you can't quite connect." She asked, trying to coax Simon out of his shell. "I can see that you love her and she loves you." She supplied as they reached the bleached white door of the store. She pushed the door open for him and he moved through.

"Thank you. I just don't know, I want to be with her but every time we get close I just lock up and push her away." He said quietly, grabbing a basket and walking down the aisles, seemingly plopping items in at random.

"I know honey," She said sweetly, quietly. He looked at Inara to find her staring, almost dejectedly at her hands as she held them together in front of her. "I think, all you have to do is let the moment continue, build up to what it should be, just do what you want to do and let her know that you love her." She looked up, her eyes sparkling and dropped her hands to her sides. "Nicely though" She advised.

"Thank you. Your wisdom beyond your years continues to amaze." He said smiling with gratitude. He hadn't meant for today's outing to be a class of Inara's Relationship Building 101 but he would take all the advice he could with regard to Kaylee, especially from her friend and a professional.

"I think we're done here, we should get some food then get back to the ship." Simon said as he took his basket to the pay area and handing over a note and three coins. He tucked the change into a inside pocket of his blazer and held a door open for Inara. She nodded her thanks and they moved on to the food store across the road.

"Coming back now!" River shouted from the galley. Shepard Book climbed the stairs from the passenger dorms.

"That didn't take so long as I expected." He said, rounding the corner and stepping into the galley. River cautiously looked at the Shepard; glancing at his hair to make sure it was tied and then locked her piercing gaze back at the empty bowl she was vigorously sloshing around in the basin. There was a crackling from the intercom speakers, like the sound of dry leaves skittering in the wind.

"You couldn't open the doors for us could ya?" Kaylee's happy voice projected a smile even though it was filtered through the intercom. Book pressed a button on a nearby panel and spoke into the microphone.

"Of course, the doors will be open in just a second." Book said. He flicked a switch on the panel and followed River to the cargo bay to open the door. He pushed a green button and the doors began to open with a loud whirring. The burning sunlight cascaded into the cargo bay like a golden ocean swell as Kaylee and Wash entered the ship.

River advanced on Kaylee and took one of the synchronisers from her. Kaylee smiled and tilted her head questioningly.

"Have to fix her broken heart," River said enigmatically as she walked up the stairs with the mechanic, "Nearly time to make you whole again too." She grinned at Kaylee. Wash and Book watched them go in silence. Wash began to feel uncomfortable after the ladies left.

"I'm gonna go up to the bridge Shepard, gotta stop Mama T-rex eating the rest of the herd. Could you lock up please?" He said, looking back over his shoulder as he strode through the cargo bay.

"Sure son, you go tend to your Dino-flock." The preacher said, pressing a larger red button. The doors hummed shut again with a clang as the inner doors shut fully, forming an airtight seal. The Shepard was about to walk away when Inara's voice piped over the intercom.

"Serenity, this is Inara, could you open up please?" The Companion asked wearily as she and Simon waited in the shade of the Firefly's 'neck'. The cargo ramp swung downwards with a muted buzz and slowly descended until it met the dusty ground. The pair entered the ship and the cargo ramp began to swing slowly back upwards to close with a muted thud. The Shepard greeted them.

"Good day travellers." He greeted them. Simon nodded to the older man, concern playing about his features.

"Is River…?" He started but Book cut him off.

"She's with Kaylee in the engine room."

"Right, thanks, I'd best get these…" He muttered, twitching the bag full of medicine and equipment. He walked away, confused.  
_River and Kaylee haven't gotten along since… well since Mal went and got his ear cut off by Niska… What the hell? _Simon couldn't shake that thought as he restocked the ship's infirmary.

Book turned to Inara.

"You sounded tired, you look it too." He said, thoughtfully looking her over. "Perhaps you should get some rest before the others get back." Inara smiled to herself but felt a little self-conscious of the fact that her weariness showed.

"Thanks, I may just take you up on that offer." She replied as they walked up the stairs and onto the catwalk leading to her shuttle.

"The sun really takes it out of a person." He said as he bent to take the bags of food off her. "These are heavy; you should have got Simon to carry these!" Inara couldn't help but laugh at the Preacher as he pretended to struggle with the bags; he waddled down the catwalk and through the door to the galley. She turned and walked up the few steps at the entrance of her shuttle and crossed the threshold to more familiar territory. She flopped, carefree yet gracefully, onto her massive, soft bed. She remembered then exactly why she had brought it.  
_The feathers are so yielding it feels like the mattress is trying to swallow you yet they are more supporting than memory-foam. _That was the explanation she had given to the Mistress of House Madrassa when she inquired as to why Inara wanted to take the bed with her when she left Sihnon and she hadn't regretted it for a second.

"Right, so why are we still talkin' about this?" Mal asked his second-in-command as they walked back to the ship after the meet with Badger. He used his hand to shield his eyes from the early evening sun.

"I just think the mission is too easy." Zoe clarified. Jayne grunted as he shifted Vera again.  
"He ain't tellin' us the truth." She finished. Mal turned to look at her with an incredulous expression.

"'Course he ain't, we take that as surely a fact as the worlds are turnin'" He turned back around and started toward the docks again and the others fell in beside him. An atmospheric shuttle screamed overhead, causing the three friends to glance into the bright blue sky.

"Just might work though, or the gorram hóun dán got us killed worse'n dead" Jayne grunted as they rounded a corner and spied out the beaten and ragged Firefly, nestled away in the slightly less busy port.

"I'll tell the crew once we're out of atmo" Mal told the others as he pressed a button on the pad he was holding. The cargo ramp descended for the final time and the last three crew members boarded the ship.

For the next hour _Serenity _was a hive of activity as everyone went about their business.  
Calm had finally descended like cold water quenching red hot steel.  
Kaylee and River had fixed the engine, among other things. Inara was peacefully sleeping. Simon had finished stocking the infirmary to his liking and was moping moodily around the eating area. Shepard book was keeping him company and Wash was in the cockpit.

Mal stood on the threshold to Inara's shuttle, watching her sleep. The rhythm of her breathing, the rise and fall of her chest was hypnotic. He looked around to see if anyone was watching and crept silently into the shuttle. He stood a respectful distance away and continued to watch her. He was doing some serious contemplating as he observed and he couldn't quite place what he was feeling. He finally came back to life, reaching down toward the woman curled on the bed. He gently pulled the duvet out from under her and, delicately, picked her up and moved her so her head was resting on a pillow. He was just placing the duvet over her when she stirred and, half asleep, called out his name. Mal paused, shocked, but he quickly recovered and boldly kissed her forehead.

"Go back to sleep bao bei." Mal said softly, his voice low and soothing. Inara smiled, her eyes still closed.

"Yessir." She sighed, drifting back off. Mal watched her soar off to wherever her flight of fancy took her and then swiftly made his exit, blue eyes glinting in the muted ambience lighting. He turned and closed the hatch to Inara's shuttle to afford her some privacy. He strode off to the bridge.

"Port control says we are clear for take-off and free to leave atmo." Wash stated as he looked at the small display to his left. Mal sighed.

"Ok, take us out." He stood and re-tucked his shirt and adjusted his suspenders slightly. Wash started pressing buttons and flicked three switches to his right as he began the start-up sequence.  
"You need a co-pilot?"

"Nah" Wash declined. "I got it." He resumed his nonchalant button-pressing. Mal left him to it.

_Serenity_'s stubby wings unfurled gracefully. The massive turbofan thrusters at the end of each wing tilted 90 degrees to deliver maximum upward thrust and spooled up with a keening whine, nearly ready to lift the heavy ship into the sky. The gravity ring settled just behind the galley and just before the bulbous abdomen-like aft section lit up and began to spin providing artificial gravity for the crew. The painfully loud whine was replaced by a roar as fuel was fed to the engines and ignited. The ship lifted vertically from the ground, kicking up vast, choking clouds of thick, brown dust. _Serenity _rose at a sedate pace to about one hundred and fifty feet when her nose suddenly dipped towards the ground. She accelerated and the thrusters began to traverse to flight configuration to enable her to maintain lift and to power out of the gravity well and out into the deep black of space. For the whole hour it took the ship to reach a safe escape velocity Wash's eyes were glued to the view port as the atmosphere thinned with altitude and changed from pristine sky blue to beautiful navy to a brooding, deep violet. Finally they left the last wisps of air behind and the black enveloped them. The turbofans, needing oxygen to burn the fuel flickered and died as they entered hard vacuum. There was a moment of silence before the gravity drive engaged to provide propulsion. Four panels around the rear end of the ship opened hydraulically, revealing the engine cowlings which started glowing orange as the drive engaged. This is how the Firefly class transport got its name. Wash put the autopilot on to orbit Persephone, his standing order until Mal told them where they were going, and went to meet Zoe in the galley.

"All crew, this is the captain." Mal's voice sounded throughout the ship. "Food's in five minutes, come as y'are, provided you're clothed." Mal replaced the mic and made his way down from the cockpit to the galley.

"You grab those plates sir." Zoe said. She and Wash were washing up the utensils from making the food they were about to have. She indicated that it was his turn to set the table. He did as he was told and took the plates, making a place for everyone before setting out the plastic crockery and cutlery. One by one the eclectic crew of the firefly transport Serenity appeared, seemingly from nowhere and took their place at the table. All the crew had realised that no matter what happened between any of them, be it awkward or hurtful, they were always welcome at the table. The captain sitting proudly at the head of the table made sure of that.

Inara was the last to arrive, not a hair out of place, her make-up flawless, looking for all the 'verse the Sihonese princess she was. Had Mal not known better he wouldn't have even suspected she was asleep until about fifteen minutes ago. Their eyes met for instant, blue agates boring into warm toffee. A tiny, triumphant smile pulled at the corners of Inara's mouth and she quickly looked away, busying herself with her food.

The nutritious eating affair passed without incidence, even River was being almost normal, enjoying her food until she stood and fled, Simon hot on her heels, to the infirmary to find a bedpan to puke into. Mal didn't pay that any attention and rose, causing a silence to descend upon his crew.

"First item on the agenda, our resident Companion, Miss Sera," Mal indicated Inara who looked away like a bashful child, "Shall be staying with us for a mite longer." He finished. Kaylee squealed in delight and clapped her hands.

"See I told you so!" She shouted, her infectious glee lifting everyone's spirits. "That's a twenty from Wash, Jayne, Zoe, Simon" She counted the number of people who owed her with her fingers, "And another twenty from you Cap'n!" Her pinkie finger rose to join the others. She giggled a low wicked giggle as the mentioned people squirmed uncomfortably under the fierce gaze of the object they had gambled on.  
"Another twenty?" Inara said, her demeanour frosty, a perfectly shaped eyebrow arched menacingly. In all his life, even when staring down the barrel of an alliance rifle, Mal had never been as terrified as he now was. He almost shuddered. Even Kaylee looked slightly guilty now.  
Mal coughed, the entire room descended into an instant, but warm silence.

"As you may, or may not, be aware," Mal started, glancing at Zoe. She nodded almost imperceptibly. "We got a job from Badger."

"It involves robbin' and possible bloodshed so, for once, my ship will be the town hall Wash so desperately wants her to be." He directed a good humoured grin at the pilot, who gave him a thumbs up.

"Two guys, a Mr Samson and a Mr Francis are the targets of this operation. They live on a moon called Sapphire, which orbits Londinium. As we all know, that there is the corey-est part of the 'verse, its crawling with Feds, the bigass guns they use and the bigass ships they fly, ones that take a disturbin' likin' to shooting down little boats like ours." River, pink faced, and Simon had returned at this point and stood behind Inara. Everyone's eyes were wide.

"Both of these guys is rotten, they have connections to Niska," There was a quiet, collective intake of breath that sounded like a sighing breeze. "And they have plenty of cash, cashy goodness that is owed to more'n a few people. All we have to do is get the money, dispense of these guys and get out. We need to deliver about fifteen thou to Fanty and Mingo on Beaumonde and twenty to Badger. The rest is ours. We could be talkin' in excess of two hundred and fifty K for ourselves."

Mal sighed and took stock of the faces looking up at him. The prospect of the mind-bending amount of money was clearly having its effect. Jayne was almost salivating.

"If you want in, raise your hands." Jayne's hand was already in the air. Mal snorted. "If you don't then it's understandable, you won't be judged and no-one here will think anythin' less of you."

Six hands joined Jayne's in the air. Shepard Book looked thoughtful and then asked his question.  
"All those involved get paid?" Mal nodded. "But do we need to kill these men? Couldn't we deliver them to Badger?"

"What Badger'd do to them... no. Way it stands, no one needs do no killin' if that ain't what they do but these men are evil."

"Not evil." River blurted, her dark eyes challenging Mal. "No person is evil, but cruel, unfair and unrelenting, yes they are. They are wicked and must be brought to justice for their crimes. Do what you do, but make sure I get my share." River turned and strode off to the passenger bunks, leaving a stunned silence in the wake of her outburst. Mal recovered first.

"See? You're on my boat, you're on my crew, you're on the job and you get paid." The Shepard nodded.

"'Nara?" Mal asked. The Companion was already on her feet moving around the table toward him.

"I'm in. What do you need me to do?" She asked. Mal gazed into her soft yet twinkling eyes, reminding him of nothing as much as the sunlight flashing on the surface of a swift flowing brook.

"Fascinatin'..." Mal mumbled, Inara's brow furrowed and Mal's eyes widened in shock.

_Chin chuh duh, I said that out loud!? _

"Uh, yeah, I'll let y'know, but for now," Mal smirked, "you can help me with the dishes."  
Inara sighed dramatically and threw her hands in the air.

"I grow up to be the most glamorous Companion in the universe, toil for many years, finally get on a ship to see the sights and now I'm on one, my highly specialised training is spent on washing the dishes, with the captain." She smiled at Mal.

The rest of the crew began to disperse as Mal and Inara swept over the table, competing for the most plates.

"I'm glad we finally have a job." Wash said to Zoe as they walked up to the bridge together. They walked into the control room and Wash flopped into the seat and began manipulating the touch screens to create a fast route to Sapphire and several egress routes.  
"Ain't exactly the most nicest of jobs we've ever had to do but, as Mal said, cashy goodness." He turned in his chair, grinning to his wife.

"Won't that be nice, some money for ourselves?" Zoe agreed, leaning on the edge of the console and playing with her husband's hair.  
"No small amount too might spend me some time planetside after the heist."

"Really?" Wash sounded surprised. He grabbed Zoe's hand and spun his chair around to face her. Zoe slid into his lap and leaned her forehead onto his. She smiled unabashedly.

"Yep, a few days with proper ground under my feet, fresh air, a bath…" Zoe kissed his nose.

"Sounds good to me, lemmie just get this autopilot on…" Wash reached around her and flicked the AP master switch above the main display. It clicked and the view outside changed, Persephone sliding out of view, as the ship reoriented itself and sped away into the black.

"Now, where were we?" He asked her coyly, sighing as Zoe kissed his nose again.

"You were about to take my clothes off..." Zoe reminded him, straight faced. Wash grinned.  
_How does a guy get this lucky?_ He wondered as he began working at the fastenings of her shirt.

"So, what did you and Kaylee talk about today?" Simon asked River as they sat in their passenger dorm. River flopped back onto her bed and stretched. She looked over at Simon with a smug, I-know-something-you-don't-know look playing on her delicate, porcelain features.

"Why don't you ask her yourself Simon? I'm not your little carrier pigeon any more, brother. You're a big boy now." Simon was taken aback. River usually wasn't full of attitude like this, but at least it was less violent than normal.

"Was it something important?" He tried again, in vain.

"Importance of any single thing is a subjective analysis based upon one's own interpretation of what is important." River sighed loudly and rolled away from her brother. Simon knew he wouldn't get any more information from her.

"I guess I should go see her then…" Simon sighed, defeated, as he got up and left the little room. River, full of happiness for her brother, jumped out of her bed and danced along to the joyous tune playing in her mind.

"Kaylee?" Simon tapped tentatively on the bulkhead outside the Engine room portal. He heard a clunk from under the engine.

"Yeah?" Came Kaylee's muffled reply as she wiggled out from where she had been tinkering. She crawled out and then froze as she saw Simon watching her. She smiled quickly and stood.  
"Hey Doc... uh, Simon." Kaylee corrected herself, Simon hated being called doctor, "Whats got you wanderin' about up here? Not that you're not allowed, I mean..." She blushed, her cheeks turning crimson.

"I came to see you," Simon interrupted her, "We haven't spoken properly in a while." He finished with a grin. Kaylee's face lit up like the sun re-emerging after an eclipse, illuminating the entire engine room in her glorious happiness. Simon crossed the threshold and reached down, taking Kaylee's hand. She was covered in engine grease.

"I just figured that you could use some company after, you know, umm… Early." Simon said in a hushed tone. Kaylee's smile faltered. The subject of the bounty hunter was taboo around her. The young engineer looked away and picked up a rust-spotted wrench.

"Thanks, it's real thoughtful of ya." She said quietly as she began busying herself with the engine again.

Simon watched her as she worked. Five minutes passed, then ten. Simon was almost nodding off when Kaylee burst into tears. The adrenaline rush woke him instantly and he was by her side, holding her, murmuring softly as she rocked slowly, sobbing into his shirt. She cried herself to sleep resting her head on his, now soaked, shirt. He gently laid her unconscious form in her hammock and sat by her side, holding her hand and gazing into her face until sleep claimed him too and his weary head flopped onto her chest.

Inara advanced on Mal, her eyes glinting with fury.

"That was my plate!" She hissed. Mal had backed up against the stove and was now trapped. Inara smiled a cold smile.

"I don't see your name on it." Mal countered. Inara lunged forward, grabbed the plate and would have made off with it had Mal not twisted it at the last second. Her grip failed and she slipped. She stumbled into Mal but quickly recovered, laughing like a little girl. Mal followed her to the basin and twisted the hot water tap. The steamy water tumbled out of the spigot like a lazy waterfall.

"You know I could get used to this." The Shepard said to Jayne as they lingered at the table. Jayne was noisily crunching on the remains of a dried protein cake.

"Yep," Jayne agreed, taking another bite. "The quiet is almost relaxin'." He twisted in his seat.  
"Hey, when you stop sniggerin' like little gorram kids we might find out what the quiet's like!" Mal looked up and shrugged. Jayne scowled back and turned back to face Book.

"I guess listenin' to yous gigglin' like morons is better'n listenin' to you and I-Nara fightin'."  
Shepard book grinned and stood stretching his arms in the air like he was trying to take off.

"Ain't that the honest truth?" the Shepard chuckled, "Goodnight everybody, sleep well." With that he disappeared toward the passenger dorms. Jayne left soon after with a grunt.

The dishes were finished and stood in their normal cupboard, shiny and clean. Mal and Inara were once again sat in the little social area with their cups of tea. Mal was not going to be trying any more balancing acts anytime soon.

"Jayne's right y'know?" Mal said after a lengthy silence. Inara looked up at him and she nodded slowly.  
"It's nice that we ain't fightin.'" He stated with a grin. He took anther sip of his tea and again it was the best cup of tea he'd tasted since Shadow. He put the mug back down on the table.

"I find this whole affair rather pleasant as well." She agreed, watching him intently as he wrung his hands. He seemed to come to some conclusion because he grabbed his cup of tea, necked the remains and replaced the cup on the table. Inara quickly took a sip before he launched into whatever he was about say.

"I gotta ask 'Nara. How comes you ain't had no clients for the last sorta two months?"

The surprise of the question was like being jolted by a few hundred volts. She nearly chocked on the second mouthful of tea. It was true though, she hadn't contracted with any clients for a while now but hadn't expected Mal to catch on so quickly. In fairness, no-one on the cortex attracted her at all and she didn't much feel like randomly inviting men into her shuttle. For a Companion to work, she must feel a slight attraction to the clients they contract with but for her, it just wasn't working.

"Uh..." Inara faltered, what could she say? None of the men she sees even come close to exciting her the way that just thinking about Mal did? That she nearly lost it with the last three clients because she was fantasising about Mal being the man on top of her?  
"None of them are good enough for me I suppose." She recovered. That was the truth and Mal could tell as he gently gazed at her, ever watchful. Inara broke the link between them and looked at her cup to see if there was any more tea to drink. It was empty. Mal grunted as he stood up with his cup. Inara rose from her seat too. Mal walked around to her and held out a hand for her to put her cup into. She gave him the mug and reached up on her tip-toes, holding his face, and kissed him properly this time.

They melted into each other, eyes closed, arms wrapped around one another. A smashing noise from near their feet brought them abruptly back to their senses and they leapt apart from each other.

Mal had dropped his cup.

"Ah..." Mal started, looking around frantically.

"Umm.." Inara followed suit, but she was already moving to find a dustpan and brush.

Simon stumbled through a second after, red-eyed and obviously tired, looked at the two of them in an almost accusatory manner. He weaved toward the galley.

"Whoa doc, what's up?" Mal asked as he followed the younger man to the galley. Inara brushed past him on her way to the breakage site. Mal's eyes followed her for a second then he put her cup in the basin to wash in the morning.

"Kaylee told me that there should be some strawberries lurking around in here somewhere." Simon said slowly, as if concentrating hard on something.

"Next cupboard over, right at the back. Yeah that's it." Inara guided him to a little wooden box as she walked back to dispose of the smashed pieces of cup she'd swept up.

"Thank you. Well..." Simon wiggled the box, "Thanks and goodnight."

"Night" Mal and Inara replied simultaneously, glancing at each other. Simon left quickly.

"Well, I guess it's bed time for us too." Mal stated. "Wait, I'm not meanin' together, not that I would have a problem with that but, you know..." Inara smiled again.

"I know, goodnight Mal, sleep well." She said, turning to leave.

"And you, m'lady" Mal replied as he walked backward toward the crew quarters. She nodded and disappeared through the portal toward her shuttle. Mal flopped onto his bed ten minutes later without patrolling his ship and slept soundly for the first time in a fortnight.

Inara paced in her shuttle, her mind working in overdrive, as she contemplated the ramifications of what she had just done. She was happy that the borders between them were starting to crumble but the doctrine of the Companion in her was fighting back. Companions don't find true love. A single tear of frustration slid down her cheek. Only one solution was readily available to relieve the burning tension inside of her. She calmed herself by mumbling a few passages from the Scriptures of Sihnon. Serene once more, she stripped her clothes off and fell into her bed. Rolling over to the left she plucked a little red box off the stand. Inside the box was a small tower of brown shapes. Inara took the first and replaced the box. She slipped the piece into her mouth and shuddered in delight as the chocolate melted slowly on her tongue.

River couldn't fully understand what the hell the problem was. Two people love each other so very much and dance all the right steps for each other, a little flat-footed and heavy at times and yet they still can't quite get it right. Her brow furrowed, biting her lower lip, River was beginning realise that no math in the 'verse could solve this equation and because of the apparent stalemate everyone was suffering. A single tear of frustration slid down her cheek. She felt scared of the powerful waves of emotion coming from the proud Companion who was normally so very well controlled and yet honoured that she should be sharing her grief. She looked over to Simon's bed. Her brother was still not back yet.

Serenity carried on toward Sapphire. The lights dimmed and cut plunging the ship into darkness. The chronometer read 23:45. An early night for her crew.


	3. Chapter 3 Arriving At Sapphire

Chapter 3.

Serenity: A beaten yet loved Firefly, a borderline wreck yet home to those aboard her. The ship herself was rapidly approaching fifty years in service and, because of her age, she needed tending to with care and attention. Love, affection or convenience, every crew member respected the ship and felt something for her.

Some felt more than others.

'_Oh god'_ _She whispered, her breathing coming in short gasps  
The man above her was very close but she was closer  
'Yes… don't stop' The woman moaned, sheer pleasure dripping from her voice  
Primal desire overwhelmed the two lovers and the talking ceased as they moved against each other, faster and faster  
They peaked together, the woman screaming out her lover's name in ecstasy_

"Mal!"  
Inara was sat bolt upright in her bed, alone, sheets slicked with sweat. She could not believe what had just happened. This was the third time this week she had been having dreams like this and every time she awoke in a cool sweat as if she had been trying to break a fever. This was becoming almost unbearable. She sighed loudly, glad to be alone at times like these and slid out of bed. Like liquid, she gracefully walked to her kettle to make herself a warm cup of cocoa.  
She sat on her divan, one shapely leg crossed over another, and sipped at her drink while she contemplated finding some work of her own on Sapphire. She could get another to relieve her pent up tensions instead of having to do so herself. She might even get lucky and find another of House Madrasa's travelling Companions to talk to while there. Her warm mug now stood empty as Inara flitted through her shuttle to find some clothes. She eventually located a suitable outfit and quickly pulled it on. She was just tightening the straps on the corset-like top she was wearing when Wash's panic laden voice piped through her speaker.

"Everyone get up, we are being boarded by an alliance warship and marines will be aboard in less than two minutes!"

Inara left the straps as they were and hurried out of her shuttle towards the bridge. She bumped into the rest of the crew in the galley, Mal looked furious and yet through the fury she saw concern. He was afraid of what would happen to his crew.

"Mal!" She shouted, "What's going on." Everyone looked around at her.

"I'm so sorry doc but… they got us this time. Nothin' I can do." Mal shook his head, defeated.

River looked perfectly calm; Simon, however, looked for all the world like a scared little boy. Inara's hand flew to her mouth in shock.

"Oh no…" She gasped. An alarm sounded through the ship and Wash appeared. Kaylee was crying into Simon's shoulder.

"I don't want you to go…" Kaylee sobbed, "Please, please don't go." Simon embraced her. Inara felt her eyes sting with tears; this was a complete, unmitigated disaster.

"I've failed you…" Mal murmured. His resolve stiffened and he began striding toward the cargo bay. The crew followed him. He took out his gun and flicked off the safety as he descended the stairs. The cargo bay door opened and Mal took aim.

"Mal no!" Inara screamed. Zoe grabbed her by the waist to stop her running into what was sure to be a short fire-fight.

An Alliance marine entered the ship. Mal fired, his round piercing the marine's armour and lodging in his chest. The marine fell. Twelve more replaced him and seven went down but eventually Mal ran out of ammunition. Inara gasped, tears openly flowing as he was bound and pushed onto his knees. The commander of the Alliance ship came aboard.

"River and Simon Tam." He pointed to the two fugitives. Two marines raised their rifles. River began moving without hesitation and Simon had no choice but to follow. They were both cuffed and stood behind the Alliance commander.

The decorated Alliance officer pulled out his sidearm. Inara couldn't breathe, Kaylee was weeping like she would never stop.

"Brass would tell me to bring everyone here in for questioning," The officer said calmly, clicking the safety off.

"But I think they would understand if I don't." He cocked the weapon. Inara was gripping the rail so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her tears had stopped.

"For the lives you stole." The officer pressed the gun against Mal's head and squeezed the trigger.

"MAL!!" Inara screamed.

She was in her bed, slick with cold sweat and her cheeks damp from the tears. She forced her breathing to slow down as the shock of the strange double-dream passed. It had seemed so real. Her heart was beginning to slow again when River spoke from nearby causing her to fall out of her bed.

"He's ok. Your mind was just trying to trick you." She said, watching Inara grab one of her ever present night gowns to cover up her nudity and hold on to one last shred of dignity.

"How did you get in here?" Inara asked, slightly afraid and more than a little alarmed at the intrusion.

River smiled, "I asked Serenity nicely and she seemed to understand." Inara was calm now and she nodded. "She was afraid for you; you were trapped and couldn't get out."

"You could say that." Inara agreed, relieved at the more-or-less normal state of things again. She didn't like the idea of the ship being able to spy on her though.

"Would you like a drink River?" Inara indicated the kettle. River shook her head.

"No, there will be plenty of time for hot coffee and tea later." River stood and began to leave.  
"Might be a good idea to go find him." She said as her form disappeared through the shuttles hatch. Inara stood by her bed for about ten minutes, allowing her mind to grow blank and serene, pushing the thoughts of Mal mostly out of the way.

"Inara! Guess what!" Kaylee started as she ran into Inara's shuttle. Inara turned to face her and couldn't help but smile at Kaylee's infectious happiness.

"Let me guess…" Inara said tapping a finger against her slightly pouted lips as if in deep concentration. "Jayne took over the ship; beat Wash to death with his Chain of Command, the rest of the crew mutinied against him, he made his last stand in the cargo bay where he was finally taken out by Zoe after shooting Mal in the leg."

Inara couldn't help but shudder at the thought of calling Jayne captain. Kaylee just shook her head.

"So yeah, we slept together." Kaylee blurted and then she gushed, spilling the beans. "Simon slept with me last night!" Inara was so happy for the younger woman that she was bouncing around the shuttle with her.

"Was it worth the wait?" Inara asked seriously and rather suddenly. Kaylee just flopped ungracefully onto Inara's bed, her eyes closed and a dreamy smile on her face.

"Uh huh…" She sighed, nodding slowly. She opened her eyes, chestnut brown to match her hair and looked at the Companion stood at the foot of the bed, silently weeping like a lost little girl. Kaylee scrambled off the bed to help the undisputed Queen of Serenity in her time of need.

"Come on 'Nara…" She said quietly, leading the Companion to her divan. Sitting her down and making sure she would be ok for the next couple of minutes, Kaylee made two cups of fragrant, golden tea.

"What's got you so worked up, sweetie?" Kaylee asked as she embraced Inara. A fresh storm was unleashed at these words.  
"Is it the captain?" She asked. Inara shook her head.

"It's me." Inara choked, pulling back. She wormed her way out of Kaylee's grip to dab her eyes with a silky handkerchief. Kaylee was very confused at the sudden role reversal.

As she watched Inara try to regain her serene and tranquil normality (not to much success) Kaylee's mind drifted to a memory from home when news of her brother's death reached back to their ranch. Her father had crumbled like an old city wall. He had walked into the living room and sat before the tears came, tumbling out like loose stones. She herself wasn't in much better shape but she held her tears in while her usually happy, optimistic and jolly father let everything flow. She had to change out of her tearstained top after a few hours and after her dad had fallen asleep she went to check on her mother. After a few moments of trying to invoke a response, Kaylee figured that her catatonic mother was in much more present danger than her dad.

She called the hospital and explained the situation and was told to stay put, the emergency crews are on the way. About five minutes later a large dropship touched down out the front of the house and five medics disembarked; rushing into the house they took Kaylee's mother to the hospital to run a course of anti-depressants.

During the time alone, Kaylee bonded with her dad like never before. They began sharing feelings and ideas and became friends. He was almost back to normal when they were informed their mother had successfully completed a course of anti-depressants and therapy and was now on her way home. The house had never been so full of love as they welcomed her back to the fold.

Inara was weeping again, leaning against Kaylee.

"Shhhh, We're gonna sort it all out…" She murmured.

It took about an hour before Inara was smiling again and talking properly. Kaylee held her hand and listened to her.

"I just don't think he sees me as the woman he wants…" Inara sighed wistfully.

"Why the hell would he not want you?!" Kaylee demanded, outraged at the thought.

"My job…" Inara countered quietly. The mechanic hadn't seen that coming and frowned, trying to find a way past it.

"I haven't taken a client in nearly two months; I no longer find the work of a Companion all that glamorous or attractive. In fact," Inara sniffed, "Mal's right. What I do is no different to that of a common whore." Kaylee gripped Inara's hand tighter.

"No 'Nara. You're both wrong. See a common whore usually charges fer a ten minute screw 'gainst the nearest wall. You charge fer a spiritual connection, you don' always have sex with your clients." Kaylee grinned, "Though I'm sure the captain wouldn' mind a ten minute screw 'gainst a wall with you." She laughed and Inara smiled genuinely.

"Well, I've given myself to midnight to decide whether or not I wish to resign from the Companion Guild." Inara exhaled forcefully after she set her own ultimatum. Kaylee drew back, confused and stunned.

"Give up, actual an' whole?" Kaylee asked. Inara nodded.

"Don' you think that's a little quick to make that decision?" Kaylee asked again, her voice going up an octave. Inara just shook her head and sipped her tea. A sudden racket from the winch in the cargo bay made them both jump.

"Okay doc, it's real simple." Mal said as he lowered the winch chain so Jayne could hook the goal onto the dangling chain.  
"We need to get the ball through that goal before anyone else and more'n anyone else." Simon nodded as Mal raised the goal to about 8 feet off the deck.

"Got it?" Mal asked, adjusting his suspenders over his white-ish workout shirt.

"Ball through hoop before others... got it" Mal grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Make a man of you yet." He teased. Mal then clapped his hands to get the attention of the others who were stretching or just milling about.

"Listen up!" Everyone in the cargo bay turned to listen to Mal  
"Three teams'a two, Zoe with Book, Jayne with Wash, Doc you're with me."

The teams formed up. Zoe took her place next to the preacher giving him a nod which he returned, Jayne and Wash high-fived as they met.

"Gonna kick their asses, right little man?" Jayne asked in a low growl.

"You better believe it." He countered confidently.

Mal didn't care about the score; he just wanted to see how good the doctor played. If Simon was good he'd keep him, if he wasn't then he would dump him on Zoe to stop her current winning streak.

The ball was played by tossing it into the air. Jayne caught it mid-jump and was immediately tackled by Mal. Simon moved in, wary of Zoe who was also approaching when the ball flew out in his direction. He caught it and dodged to the left to avoid a low tackle from a giggling Zoe. Wash and the Shepherd were in the way now and he rolled over Wash as the pilot crouched to take out Simon's legs. Book was blocking the goal and now he knew Jayne was bearing down on him as through the sound of laughter he could hear Mal's warning shout. He took the shot and immediately moved to the right. Jayne stumbled past as the ball sailed cleanly through the hoop.

"YEAH!" Mal shouted, pleased at such an early score. The ball was reset and they played for another half hour or so. As good as Simon was he did not have the endurance to play at full power for so long. In the end Zoe and Book won by two goals over Mal and Simon and Jayne and Wash lost by four goals. River had been watching from the catwalk, sat on the edge with her feet dangling. Inara and Kaylee had come out to watch about ten minutes through the game and sat with her. Kaylee went wild every time Simon scored. The game was obviously tiring as the smell of sweat reache d even to the spectators watching above. Everyone hit the showers and cleaning units after the game and the washing line strung across the catwalks was soon full of freshly washed clothes drying under the gentle breeze of the ventilation ports. Lunch was served soon after and everyone was eating their fill.

"Wash, how long 'til we reach this Purple moon?" Mal asked when he had swallowed what he was eating. The pilot looked up.

"About four hours." Wash replied his mouth full and his hair still damp from the shower.

"Ok, I guess it's time for everyone to get movin'" Mal said, getting up from the table. He dumped his plate in the bowl and headed off towards the cargo bay.  
Inara quietly followed him out. No-one else noticed as they too began making preparations for the op.

"Mal!" Inara called after following the Captain to his objective. He stopped rummaging in the crate he was stood at and turned to face her, his piercing eyes showing unfamiliar warmth toward her.

"Hey 'Nara, what's up?" Mal asked her, smiling a little. She looked away for a second.

"I was just wondering what my place will be in this operation."

They didn't notice Kaylee, Simon and Jayne enter the cargo bay. Kaylee immediately shushed them so they could eavesdrop on the conversation unfolding between them.

"You'll be with me on the inside, unless you'd rather..." Inara cut him off, shaking her head.

"No, no, it's fine. I'd rather be with you."  
That statement surprised Mal so much that his mind went completely dead for a moment

"Me too." He said without thinking.

Kaylee squeaked, ran down the stairs from the catwalk and hurled herself at Mal and Inara.

"You guys are so cute!" She squawked, tears glistening in her eyes as she pulled them both into a bear hug.

"Yeah... Don' mind us while we hurl on ya." Jayne grumbled as he stamped down the ladder. Simon looked apologetic as Mal glared at him.

"Sorry, it was rude of us to listen in." Simon cast his eyes to Kaylee who had released Mal and stood beaming at the pair of them. He followed Jayne down the stairs and to a crate where Jayne stashed the weapons for other people to use. As Kaylee joined them Jayne pulled out an auto-shotgun, which Simon declined. He then pulled out a compact, yet powerful looking bullpup SMG. Simon took it and some webbing to store spare magazines.

Mal watched the exchange with a mute detachment. He was busy concentrating on something very different and immediately behind him. A tingle ran up his forearm causing him to shudder ever so slightly.

"Your hands are so soft," Inara whispered as she held his in hers, "Like a baby's"

"Hey, careful!" Jayne shouted as Kaylee staggered under the weight of the auto-shotgun, dropped it and squealed, scampering out of the way as Jayne hefted it with one hand back into the crate.

"Sorry!" Kaylee giggled.

"I don't got your fancy creams but I do like my moisturisers." He whispered back, a half-smile playing on his face as Kaylee pulled out a small feminine looking pistol.

"We need to talk, Mal, in private." Something about her voice set him on edge. "Meet me in my shuttle, five minutes, no guns." With that, Inara let go of his hand and retreated back to her sanctuary. Mal put his own pistol into a hidden holster on the crate and quickly ascended to the upper catwalk, passing Shepard Book and mumbling a greeting. He reached the upper level and found River standing in the doorway to the galley.

"Hey Little One, hows things?" Mal asked her. He rarely spoke to River these days but then, he hardly saw her.

"Same as usual," she said, a trace of melancholy sadness in her voice. "Brother thinks I'm still crazy, hell, I probably am. I just wish he'd stop stabbing me with those needles." River added, trailing off. Mal frowned a little as he noticed the marks on her bare arm. They almost looked like track lines.

"Well, man's only doin' what his learnin's tellin' him to do." Mal said, unsure of what else to say.

"Of that I am painfully aware. Go see to your girl Daddy, I'll call you if I need you."

"OK, well…" Mal had never been the truly sentimental type and didn't quite know how to say what he thought was the right thing.

"Yes I know, stop embarrassing us both." She said, humour creeping into her voice.

"OK" Mal continued on to Inara's shuttle and rapped on the door, a quick three knock burst.

I

nara grabbed his shirt and yanked him into her shuttle, kissing him so he could not make a sound and alert anyone below. She released him once they were safely inside and the door closed.

"You were quicker than I expected." Inara stated, her genuine smile of happiness lifting his spirits.

"Could'a been here twice as quick if I knew this was the welcome I'd be recievin.'" He grinned at her and sat down on her divan as she boiled the kettle to make some tea.

She sat down and put the tea cups on the little wooden table. Turning to Mal she said, "I think I want to stop being a Companion." Unshed tears made her eyes sparkle like entire galaxies of light were captured inside them.

"Woah, you mean… why?" Mal couldn't help but ask. A single tear worked its way out and Mal quickly caught it with his thumb.

"As you may or may not have noticed, a Companion is a creature of godlike beauty, grace and intellect." Inara started, taking a deep breath.

"We are taught in the best schools the 'verse has to offer and we are the elite social class. However, this comes at a price… loneliness." Mal had taken a sip of his tea but was still riveted to Inara's every word.

"We are psychologists, sociologists and match-makers. We can tell what someone needs and we become them but none of us are prepared for what happens when our training tells us we have met the one who is a perfect match for ourselves. Like…" Inara paused, Mal hardly dared to breathe.

"Like I think you are for me." She finished. Mal frowned, taking it all in.

"What happens for us then?" He asked.

"Most Companions run away like I tried to." Inara cast her eyes to the floor. "We deal in love extremely well but not with it. It's an alien concept. I want to be with you Mal but my training…"

"The Companion Guild still has a hold on you, if you leave you won' feel guilty 'bout surrendering to your feelings?" He ventured. Inara nodded secretly surprised by his ability to perceive complexities as if they were nothing. Mal had to play this extremely carefully so he decided that because she is a grown woman, she is fully capable of confiding in other grown women to make a decision about how the rest of her life will be played out.

"Whatever you decide to do, I'll fully support you and I will always…" He faltered.  
_Come on Malcolm; tell her how you feel about her!_

"Love you." He finished the sentence.

Inara's head whipped around, incredulity playing over her features. Mal leaned over and kissed her meaningfully and departed to resume his preparations.

"I got a special gun set aside for you in the crate I was rummaging in." Mal said before he left

Inara sat and stared at the door that he disappeared through for a good five minutes before getting up herself. An unresolved inner debate was raging in her head.

_Did he just say he loved me?  
Come on, what is he after?__  
YES! I knew he felt the same!__  
He's male, that Y chromosome makes the word love synonymous with "You have a nice body, I wish to screw you stupid but don't expect me to hang around after." __  
Malcolm and Inara Reynolds... I could get used to that.__  
Whoa! Marriage talk? Slow down girl, don't get carried away.__  
Shut the HELL up already! _

Inara slowly descended the stairs to the main level and approached Mal who was busily reassembling a large gold and black rifle. Jayne was noisily working out on the bench nearby with the Shepard spotting him whilst having a decidedly one-sided conversation.

Grunt! Jayne pumped the bar.

"I had a rabbit once, I called it Judy but she was white and burnt easily in the sun."

Grunt! Jayne pumped the bar again.

"Have you ever considered a religion to practice?"

Grunt!

"I think faith would do you a world of goodness."

Jayne heaved the bar.

"Nah, don' wanna end up a fuzzy-wuzzy. Heathendom is fine for me preacher."

"Well, I'll let you think about it but…"

Inara stopped listening as she waited across the crate from Mal who looked up and smiled.

"Just one sec." Mal said as he practically dived head first into the crate. After about ten seconds of rummaging in the dark crate Mal came back up and handed her a small, highly decorated gold pistol. It had intricately designed patterns on the enamel coated grip and along the cocking mechanism.

"My god. Mal is this…" Inara started in shock but he interrupted her.

"Nandi's? Yes, she wanted you to have it." They stood silently remembering the same vibrant, life-loving ex-companion but in different ways.

"Thank you." Inara murmured quietly.

The stay at The Heart of Gold had been awful for Inara. She suffered two heartbreaks in rapid succession. First finding out that Mal had gone and slept with Nandi. Inara felt ugly after that, deep down she knew she was much more… than Nandi and could not understand why Mal would choose the whore over a Companion. The second was when Burgess had drilled a hole through Nandi with his laser as she stood her ground to protect Petaline's baby. Mal burst through a few seconds too late and as he and Inara silently communicated with their eyes she could see the pain and anger that the scene had caused. As a Companion she was not used to the agony and loss that normal people feel. That was what caused her to want to leave, shut Mal out forever and return to a simpler life of influential yet small men with delusions of grandeur.

Then Tracey the meat wagon and Early the bounty hunter happened. Both events had shaken Mal up more than he would ever care to admit, which is why about a month ago Mal had knocked quietly on her shuttle door at an unholy hour to talk to someone different and get a lot of issues off his chest. Inara learned a lot from that chat and respected the Captain all the more for it. They became friends, not the sniping-out-of-spite kind but proper friends that could talk to each other and cared for each other.

Inara took the gun and held it almost reverentially. Wash's voice echoed through the bay.

"Mal, we're approaching Sapphire Orbital Control."

Mal found a mic and said: "How long till we reach it?"

"Two hours, more or less."

"Right, are you ready to roll?"

"Yes sir."

"Ok well, I got a new plan. What time is it?"

"About 17 hundred."

"'Kay we'll have food-like stuff in about half an hour then I can tell everyone the plan."

"Sounds shiney," Wash was smiling, the barely detectable change in his voice told them so. "Can I guess what it is?"

"No. It's a surprise." Mal said, grinning as he shut off the PA system. He turned away and looked at Inara, who had raised an eyebrow.

"You ain't allowed to guess neither." He said, squeezing her arm gently as he passed her. She collected the gold plated magazines carefully, noting the calibre of the rounds for future reference.

Jayne was sitting on the bench, drenched in sweat, looking at Mal who was grinning and shaking his head as he ascended the steps into the main sections of the ship. Inara located a towel draped across the banister of the catwalk stairs and handed to Jayne who mumbled his thanks and she too disappeared up into the main sections of the ship.

At 17:32 dinner was served my Simon and Kaylee who had been cooking away with the food Simon and Inara had bought a few days back.

"Proper food? Makes a change." Jayne said to no-one in particular. River eyed her plate with trepidation.

"That it does!" Wash added as he loaded as much of the thick, rich stew as safely possible onto his spoon before devouring it all in a single gulp.

"Simon, did you make these?" Inara asked as she looked in wonder at the food on her plate. The doctor looked up, his mouth full. She could tell he was hurrying to say yes but Kaylee beat him to it.

"Certainly did!" She beamed plunging her fork back into the meal.

Inara gave the doctor a look of utmost respect and he smiled in return. Mal hadn't said anything and had already polished off one of his two dumplings. This meal was certainly one of the more unexpected events of the day. After everyone had eaten their fill there was a pleasant buzz of conversation around the table. Mal didn't stand to gain attention this time.

"So, here it is." He said, no louder than anyone else. The buzz died down.

"Plan is, you're gonna love me fer this Wash," Mal smirked at the pilot, "To spend a free day planetside to do whatever you do."

Jayne punched the air and high-fived Wash.

"Great, when do we hit the dirt?" Jayne asked Wash who looked at a clock on the bulkhead.

"Hopefully in about three or four hours. It'll be about 23:00 local time when we land." He replied. The buzz of conversation resumed and there was more than one slice of bread thrown as Wash and Zoe canoodled in front of the crew.

Serenity approached a massive Orbital Control Station and rolled inverted to dock with the station. The structure could easily fit over a hundred Firefly transports with little difficulty. Serenity made contact with the docking ring below one of the station's three massive spires. After a quick interview with Mal the ship was given a 48 hour landing permit. With a blast of the CO2 thrusters, Serenity pushed away from the station. The gravity drive powered up and within an hour the ship was leaving red plasma trails as it began skipping over the outer reaches of the artificially pristine atmosphere like a flat stone over a still pond. The turbofans traversed to landing configuration and the gravity drive arms closed around the baffles to protect them during re-entry. Serenity's belly began to glow a blazing red and superheated air buffeted the ship. An extreme altitude jet-stream caught the ship and it shuddered slightly.

"Whoa!" Mal stumbled as the deck jolted hard beneath him again. Inara looked at him in amusement from the deck where she fell as he staggered and slipped. He landed with his face in her cleavage. She yelled in pain and surprise.

Immensely embarrassed, they both quickly got up and dusted themselves off. Jayne was laughing uproariously from the table where his weight on the chair made him stable enough to stay upright during the ruckus. Kaylee was also giggling at the pair of them from her seat on the deck. Inara scanned Mal's face and was surprised to see a hint of crimson on his cheeks; she felt heat rising up her cheeks in response.

"WASH!" Mal screamed, storming to the cockpit.

"At least he got a soft landin'" Jayne smirked, indicating Inara's chest.

"That he did!" Kaylee agreed, nodding sagely. Simon approached Inara with concern playing about his features.

"Do you want me to look at that?" He said, Inara looked down to see where he was looking and found the beginnings of a slight bruise on her breast where Mal's nose must have dug in. Kaylee narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Ken I get a look-in too?" Jayne joked, half rising from his seat in anticipation of imminent boob-flashing.

"It'll be fine thank you," Inara said, a touch too quick she thought and added, "It'll probably be gone by tomorrow anyway." Simon nodded. Inara retreated from the galley to the cockpit but heard Jayne making a snarky comment.

"What does it take to get a bit of titty on this boat?" He growled. She could tell he was half-joking, half-frustrated by the strain in his voice.

She then heard the crash of Jayne dropping his fork. It would later be revealed that Kaylee had lifted her top and flashed him in an attempt to get him to shut up complaining and that she had had a little bit to drink before the meal as her latest batch of home brewed hooch was ready.

"Kaylee!" Simon sounded shocked to the core.

"That's a nice rack you got there Kaylee." He said, a chuckle in his throat.

"Thank you very much Mr. Cobb." She had definitely been drinking.

"I'll be in my bunk." He said before leaving the galley. Inara reached the cockpit as Jayne kicked open his hatch.

"Ok but maybe some warnin' next time." Mal said to Wash. They noticed the movement behind them and turned to see Inara stood in the doorway.

"Is everything OK?" She asked

"Yeah, no damage and we'll probably make it to the ground with out being pancaked first." Mal replied, watching Wash as he gave the dock controller the authorisation code from the station. They were given clearance to land.

Inara and Mal walked together to her shuttle.

"You workin' tomorrow night?" Mal asked. Inara looked at him enquiringly. She had checked the Cortex for any potential suitors and again had no luck.

"Why do you ask?" She countered. He squirmed a bit.

"'Cause I know a little place that I think you might enjoy and thinkin' I'd take you out." He said quietly.

"We'll see captain." She said, grinning as she left him on the threshold to her shuttle.

"No petty theft allowed in fancy places like that anyways!" He shouted through. He heard her laugh. He closed the shuttle doors left her to her devices.

Tomorrow would be a day holding a lot of promise Mal mused as he watched the Shepard finishing his evening Prayers at the dining table with River observing him from her perch on the galley counter.

Serenity landed with a jolt and the engines died. The turbofans folded to the sides of the ship and were silent. The crew turned in not long after and once again the ship was dark and silent but warm and comfortable. She was home.


	4. Not Chapter 4: Author's Note

**Author's note**

Hey guys, I'm really sorry for the delay for chapter 4. College work is really taking its toll.

A reprieve is at hand, however, fear not!

First and foremost, During the Easter holidays I shall be working tirelessly to deliver hopefully two more chapters as college work will no longer be an issue.

Secondly, I have posted the beginning of another story that has been sat on my HDD for a long time collecting dust and will be continuing that as soon as the Firefly story is finished.

Read it here on , it's an EVE Online Fic called He Who Dares.  
Hit it mercilessly with reviews for improvements, likeyness and all that cool stuff.

Oh yeah, one further addendum... I passed my driving test first time! :)

So thanks for reading and I will try to deliver my very best work as soon as I can.

To and for all ye faithful  
Connor


	5. Chapter 4 The Day Out Bring Alcohol

**OK guys, here is my heartfelt apology for this chapter taking so long. I'm not gonna make excuses. It's here, It's ready to be read and I hope it's good enough for you guys to consider not lynching me.  
**Joss owns Characters, I own the story =]**  
The events depicted here occur quite late on during the following day.**

Chapter 4

River was watching Mal pace the galley from her perch next to the stove as he waited for Inara to finish up in her shuttle. Being the only person left aboard, she had automatically sought company of the flustered captain. He walked to the head of the table before striding impatiently toward the galley where River was observing him.

"Kaylee was right."  
Due to a mixture of nerves and the effect Inara's voice had on him, Mal literally had to be caught by River. Inara had come in silently before startling him with her statement.  
Rivers willowy arms were surprisingly strong and she supported the captain effortlessly as he regained his composure. It didn't take long before he was back on his own feet and glaring at Inara for frightening him.

"The pants show off your backside very well." She added with a demure, yet impudent grin.

"I'd thank you to not scare the livin' daylights outta me next time, darlin'." He retorted, relaxing a little.

"At least you're not armed this time." She replied, looking pointedly at his hip. His holster was lying on his bunk, his gun however was nearby should he need it for an emergency.  
River leapt gracefully down from where she was sat and gave Inara a hug, like a child would its mother. Mal's eyebrows shot up into his fringe in surprise. River was usually the solitary one, eschewing physical contact from almost everyone but Simon, even that was debatable sometimes, so a full on hug surprised both Mal and Inara, who looked at him questioningly. She hugged her back warmly but automatically, the Companion doctrine taking over. He shrugged. River let Inara go silently and disappeared toward the passenger dorms.

Letting the moment pass, Mal looked at Inara. Breathtaking, as usual, she seemed to glow with an ethereal aura of youthfulness he had never seen before. Her dress was a honey colour, bodice supporting her upper body and bust rather well, Mal thought, the skirt's folds cascading like a frozen waterfall of expensive fabric. Mal let his eyes bathe in the glorious sight for a few moments before realising that his suit looked rather shabby compared to her finery. She glanced at him, an infectious smile on her face, a hand on her hip, he grinned back.

"Well?" She asked, arching her eyebrow. Mal quickly stepped up to her as she pivoted on her heels expertly, a few loose strands of meticulously curled hair flying out behind her. Despite her heels she was still a little smaller than him. He held out his arm and her gloved hand slid onto it as they descended the stairs to the waiting black hover-limo, patiently idling in the cargo hold. Mal opened the door for her and she got into it as fluidly as flowing water. Mals entry was grand but significantly less graceful. The limo thrummed out of the bay and climbed into the orange twilight.

Mal turned toward Inara in the back, two full glasses of champagne in his hands.  
"Care for a drink, m'lady?" He asked.  
"Don't mind if I do..." She said accepting the proffered glass.

There was fuel enough for a quick sub-orbital flight she surmised, manipulating the controls that were as familiar to her as the backs of her hands. She started the pre-flight checklist and flicked her dark hair from her face.

"Simon?" Kaylee called. A handsome face appeared from almost nowhere. The rest of Simon barged his way through the crowded street.  
"Yeah?" He asked, taking her hand again as they set off. She tugged him down an alleyway and round a corner to a dark and cool courtyard. She let go of his hand, gazing at the sky. The cold, beautiful pinpricks making up the starscape stared back from eternity, a broad band of blue-white light making up the galaxy. The nearby planet of Londinium, glowing a violet colour, occupied an entire portion of the sky.  
"I like this world..." She said kissing Simon.  
"I think I do too." He agreed, squeezing her hand.  
"The sky is so beaut..." He started before Kaylee kissed him again. The passion built, boundaries crashed down like waves. They sank to the floor, unzipping and unbuttoning as they went...

"Shepard Book, with glad and open arms we welcome you back to the fold brother." An elderly preacher recited as Book rose from his prostrate position.  
"Thanks be upon you brother, for yours is gracious understanding." Book completed the ritual greeting. He washed his hands and face before entering the temple. It was a large and ornate building, far more ostentatious than the ramshackle and makeshift shrines he had seen and visited in his journeys with Mal. Gold inlayed icons gleamed from the walls. Passages from the scriptures were inscribed on the walls with what looked like platinum and diamondite veins. He strode through the chapel, head bowed, his robes making no noise. The harmonised humming from monks could be heard throughout the building. He met the Temple Father and Mother in a chamber off the altar.  
"What brings you here, weary traveller?" The Temple Father inquired, his warm voice hushed.  
"I have come to pray for somebody's life." Book stated, kneeling before them.  
"Who is in danger my son?" The Temple Mother asked.  
"My crew…"

Wash had to press flat against the wall as two Alliance patrol officers ran down the narrow thoroughfare. He exhaled audibly when they rounded the corner; the taste of the peppered beef he had eaten with Zoe was lingering deliciously on his tongue.  
"Is it me or do these guys have a habit of being around when we are?" Wash mentioned to Zoe who seemed nonplussed by the event. She smiled reassuringly as he caught up with her.  
"Feds are everywhere, we just happen to be on their turf." She said, coming to an abrupt halt. The main recreation dome was directly across the boulevard from them.  
"Come on honey, let's go for a swim!" She said. He trotted along behind her as she crossed the wide road. There were worse places to be, he considered, as she stepped out of a changing booth in a black bikini. Chuckling to himself he dived into the glowing blue warm water with Zoe hot on his heels.

Jayne rolled over in his sleep and snorted loudly. The whore had taken her money and left.

The ship powered up, engines shrieking as the pilot increased the throttles. The bulky craft lifted smoothly off the ground. The air response units didn't seem to notice the huge, glowing heat emission taking off without a permit, the tracking stations couldn't seem to keep hold of it. Serenity powered onwards as River took her higher up into the ionosphere. Skirting past the Space Elevator at the very edge of the Atmosphere River powered down the engines as they hit orbital velocity. This close to the edge of space River felt weightlessness tugging her out of the seat. She had disengaged the gravity drive as they hit the stratosphere. Floating serenely down the corridors she tumbled effortlessly through graceful arcs as she made her way through the ship toward the cargo bay. She let her tears of joy flow as she threw herself around the empty cargo space in wide arcs and tight spins, she had never felt so free before in her life. Half an hour passed when her aerial ballet was cut short as a proximity warning blared through the ship. Full of curiosity, River sailed back to the bridge to find a sleek looking alliance stealth cruiser prowling toward Serenity. She took control of the ship and concentrated.

"This is Commander Womak. You are in a no-loiter orbital zone. Stand down your engines and prepare to be boarded." The commander's voice echoed through the empty ship. She was confident, arrogant and unafraid. River liked a challenge. Re-engaging the gravity drive she threw the ship into a dive toward the hard, unforgiving surface. The cruiser's powerful engine flared as the pilot began an interception course change. River tried to find the Commanders mind aboard the cruiser. It wasn't hard as she stuck out like a beacon fire. She made some adjustments and altered Serenity's trajectory. Sapphire was taking up a frighteningly large proportion of the main view ports as she picked up speed. Alarms and sirens howled around River but connected to the soul of the ship, River knew Serenity was enjoying the ride. The cruiser peeled off as Commander Womak keeled over and passed out on the bridge for no apparent reason and River grinned relaxing her thoughts again. Pulling the nose up and traversing the engines to vertical she ramped up the power, ripping a jagged, flaming tear across the sky. Landing the ship in its original dock expertly she shut off all of the systems and crept from the cockpit. She patted the bulkhead as she left. Wash had nothing on her.

Mal had never experienced anything quite like this before as he listened to Inara babble about whatever took her fancy. He had finished his what-was-it-called: Lobster? Something like that, and was satisfied with the crème caramel desert. She had eaten a lot more than he had seen her ever eat. She had had some kind of smoked meat and a dish of pasta as well as a starter and desert. It was a fine place to eat, with a quiet murmur of background conversations, burnished chandeliers blazed above them as they basked in each others company. Mal silently thanked the Cortex advert that had come up a few nights ago. Inara took another sip of the burgundy.

"So then I was stuck apparently in the shuttle with this horrible dream running through my head," She continued, waving her hands animatedly, "You know, the kind where you think you're awake but you aren't?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well I had one of them and when I woke up properly, who did I find sat over me?" She paused, half for dramatic effect and half to have another mouthful of wine. Someone laughed loudly nearby.  
"Who was sittin' over you?" He asked, a crooked grin creeping onto his face.  
"River!" She shouted, her face forming a perfect mask of false outrage. They laughed uproariously.  
"She's a gorram menace at times that girl." Mal murmured, wiping his eyes. Inara nodded, laughing silently, her wine glass tilted at a precarious angle.  
"She literally scared me out of bed and then," Sip of wine, "Well, then she saw everything." She put the glass down. It was empty. Disappointment playing in her large brown eyes she looked at Mal.

"What say we get outta here?" Mal suggested, beckoning over a waiter.  
"But Mal…" She started to protest.  
"We'll go for a walk in the park before we go back to Serenity."  
The waiter appeared, arms folded behind him.  
"Sir?" He asked. Mal drew out his credit chip that Badger had given him and from his black waist coat, the waiter produced a slim chip-reader. Inserting the small piece of plastic and metal into the slot, Mal silently recounted the authentication number the cockney weasel had given him. Inputting it quickly, the device chirped and a green light flashed.

"Thank you sir, we hope you enjoyed your meal." He slid the device back into his pocket. Mal handed him a note for 10 credits. The waiter did not refuse the tip.  
"The food was great... The conversation was, however, greater." Mal nodded at Inara who was busy extricating her clutch from a fold in her dress.  
"Of course sir. I'll see that the chefs receive your compliment." With that the waiter retreated. Inara wobbled ever so slightly but Mal was supporting her as they walked down a purple velvet-carpeted thoroughfare and out into the mild night.

"You're so drunk!" Mal whispered as they left the building and nodded at the porters holding the door open.  
"I am not!" She hissed. Looking at Mal with an angry glare plastered on her face, her glistening red lips slightly parted. He resisted the urge to kiss her.

"Do you got the time?" Mal asked one of the porters as Inara held on to his arm. Other couples were looking at the odd pair as they entered the restaurant or waiting cabs. The porter rummaged in his red felt coat and produced a timepiece which he quickly looked at and returned.

"It is half past nine, sir." He answered. Mal thanked him for the information and led Inara over to a road crossing. They entered the park grounds five minutes later. Inara staggered occasionally, partly due to the amount of alcohol she had consumed in the last three hours or so and part due to the slightly uneven ground she was trying to navigate with her heels.

"Hey c'mon, there's a bench over there." Mal said, pointing at a bench a little further up the path.  
"Lets sort those shoes of yours out." Inara nodded, grateful of his sensitivity.  
"You are such a nice man, Mon Capitan." Inara murmured as they sat down on the bench. She chuckled sweetly at her use of French. Mal grinned a little but was worried. She had drunk far too much.  
Mal had come prepared for this situation. Setting Inara down on the bench and helping her to un-strap her heels he pulled out a pair of flat slippers that River had covertly given to him.

"I'm thinkin' you had a little too much there darlin'." Mal stated as he helped Inara back on to her feet. She giggled a little as they walked.  
"I think…" She paused to think of what to say, "I think this place is very pretty, Mal." She ran her hands through the willow branches over hanging the path.  
"It's been a long time since I've seen anything this naturally beautiful." She said sounding deadly serious. Mal watched her walk out into a clearing just off the path and his breath caught as she was caught in the bright purple-white planet-light of the nearby Londinium.

Simon could not believe that they got away with what they had just done. Holding hands and grinning like Cheshire Cats they made their way back to Serenity through the quiet streets. Kaylee was glowing and kept looking up at him, nothing but love and adoration held for him. He kissed her forehead gently. When they finally reached the dock it was much darker. Kaylee gasped in surprise.  
"What the hell?" She asked quietly. Simon saw it too. Huge black scorch marks along the neck hull plating, the cargo bay door was sooty and the engines had heat damage to their cowlings.

"Someone took her up…" Simon started, figuring out the pattern of the heat damage. Kaylee finished his sentence.  
"And brought her down way too quick." She scowled as they approached the vessel and opened the cargo ramp. She marched in with Simon trailing behind her as the ramp closed. Kaylee immediately went to the engine room. Placing a hand on the manifold she was surprised to find it cold as the hull outside. Simon hovered nervously nearby.  
"Any clues?" He asked in a hushed whisper.  
"No idea, the engine's cold like it never got turned on." She whispered back.  
Simon suddenly started in shock.  
"River!" Kaylee's eyes widened as Simon rushed toward the passenger dorms. He approached the sliding door of the dorm River used. A warm, honey coloured light was filtering through the thin material of the door. Simon tapped on the door. No response. Sliding the door in its track as quietly as possible he entered to find River fast asleep on her side. Planting a kiss on her cheek he turned the light off and exited quickly.  
Kaylee was waiting near the infirmary anxiously.

"Is she ok?" She asked as Simon walked up to her. He nodded.  
"The scorch marks are probably from when we originally landed" Simon said, half-convinced. Kaylee nodded uncertainly.  
"Maybe."

Wash came up for breath, splashing and spluttering slightly as he tried to find the edge of the pool. A strong hand gripped his and hauled him through the water to the rail. He opened his eyes to find Zoe smiling and shaking her head at him.

"You ain't so good with the whole swimming thing are you, honey?" She asked as she stretched her legs in the warm water. The lamps built into the pool floor made the water glow an amazing blue colour and made the water nicely warm.

"Not really had an opportunity." Wash agreed, "The date of my last swim is lost so far in the annals of time it could be mistaken for prehistory." Zoe snorted as her husband slid under the surface again and swam around her. He came back up a few seconds later and clutched the side as Zoe lazily kicked her legs.  
"How long have we been in?" Wash asked, looking at his wrinkled fingers. Zoe entwined her fingers with his before she answered.  
"About an hour and a half."  
Wash blinked. He thought they had only been in the pool for about half that time.  
"Wanna get out?" She asked. Wash thought about it for a few seconds and decided that he missed his pilot's seat a tad too much.  
"Yeah, I'm clean enough now." He answered with a grin which his wife echoed. They swam the last length lazily and climbed the stairs to the changing rooms.

He regretted not drying his hair properly the moment he stepped outside. The night was mild enough to necessitate having his top two buttons undone but the light breeze chilled his head more than an arctic gale could. His wife had spent the extra time wisely, ensuring all her hair was completely dry. Meandering together through the streets they had come down a few hours before was different when it was dark. Dark wasn't the right term for the night on Sapphire: less bright was more apt with Londinium reflecting its purple glare overhead. There were very few people on the streets. Twenty minutes later they arrived at Serenity's port. Zoe tutted as she saw the hard black scorch marks on the hull. Wash tilted his head in confusion.

"You losing your touch sweetie?" she asked in jest.  
"Wasn't me, I don't think." Remembering the Captain shouting at him for not correcting quickly enough to the jet-stream that made him fall onto Inara; Wash made a face.  
"Could've been. Remember that knock we took during re-entry?" Wash asked Zoe, who nodded.  
"How could I forget, I could hear the Captain yelling through the ship." They started walking toward the ship. Wash pressed the hidden button to lower the ramp and it started to descend with a whirring of electric motors.  
"That could have caused a bit of heat damage to certain sections of the ship." He stated as the entered the ship. The cargo ramp ascended again. They entered the galley. Wash pondered about the odd marks on the hull for a while but as he gazed at Zoe over a hot cup of coffee he forgot about it completely, and almost forgot to breathe as well. He felt his cheeks redden and one of Zoe's eyebrows arched questioningly.  
_Don't you play coy, Mrs Washburn! _He thought as she approached him, the same questioning expression delightfully playing about her dark features. She stopped arms-length from him, cleared her throat quietly and said; "I'll be in our bunk," exactly as Jayne would before turning on her heel and striding away without a backward glance. Wash stayed at the table bemused. He distantly heard the sound of a hatch being kicked open and clanking closed a few seconds later.

"Honey?" He asked tentatively.  
"She's gone..."  
"Aaaargh!" Wash leapt up from his seat at the table, screaming like a wounded banshee in her death throes.  
River giggled.  
"Jeeze girl." Wash calmed enough to grin. She's good, very, very good.  
"What's wrong fly-boy, scared of a little girl?" She asked crouching on the table and, lithe as a stalking panther, approached him on all fours. Her eyes were level with his. Wash, survival instinct kicking in, stared into hers. He saw intelligence, amusement and a cold challenge to his position aboard the ship.

"Whoa, you two in needa' some privacy?" Kaylee asked breaking the spell. Wash gasped, River's eyebrow arched. The pilot looked at Kaylee and shook his head.  
"Nah, I'm, Imma gonna get to bed." He jerked his thumb in the general direction of the crew quarters.  
Kaylee didn't look convinced, she was sure that something intensely important had just been interrupted.  
"Kay, g'night." She said.  
"Sleep well." River added.  
Wash vanished quickly.

"What's up?" Kaylee asked River as she turned the kettle on. River was sat cross-legged on the table and looked up toward the "ceiling."  
"Space." She deadpanned.  
Kaylee instantly looked down at the kettle, sighed in amusement and shook her head.  
"I'm just waiting for the captain to get back." River replied a little while later as kaylee was pouring the steaming water into two cups.  
"Awww, you're such a sweetheart at times y'know?" Kaylee gushed. She gasped in surprise.  
"Oh my." River looked over.  
"I didn't even offer you a drink. How rude of me." She glanced at River the obvious question on the tip of her tongue.  
"It's ok. I'm not thirsty, thanks though." River couldn't help but notice Kaylee's reaction. She looked shocked, then confused then back to normal. A trick she had learnt from Inara however she was not as quick at compensating as the companion yet, that would come with time.

It didn't fool River though. Every time the captain had verbally backhanded Inara or cut her down she noticed each expression manifest as if she was watching an explosion blossom in slow motion. Anger, realisation, hurt, confusion, despair and self-loathing to name but a few. The captain was very good at masking everything with a layer of his steel-stiff sense of duty which made it slightly more difficult for her to pick up his feelings. Every time he did something or said something that hurt Inara he reflected those feelings he inflicted on her. He hated himself for fighting with her.

"Right, ok well y'know where we are if y'need us honey." Kaylee said, clutching Rivers hand for a second before heading back to the passenger dorms.

Shepard Book made his way out of the hideously ornate temple quietly, having done his penance, repented his evil ways and confessed his sins. Making contact with one of his fellow brothers had been most difficult. Facilitating a two-way realtime communication link between a surface-relay satellite and a stealth battleship without compromising it's active camouflage was extremely tricky. Gathering intel on recent Reaver movements was next to impossible aboard Serenity. Book had managed to learn that the Reavers had become over 70 percent more active in the last week alone. The ship he had contacted was deep within Reaver territory and, despite the Alliance's best efforts at rendering their ship invisible with active camouflage upgrades, may need to pull out due to several near misses. An Alliance active camouflage unit only works if another large mass does not breach a 30 kilometre perimeter around the ship. If a large enough mass, like a ship or an asteroid gets too close it destabilises the harmonics of the cloak field because the unit will attempt to cloak the other mass. This causes the unit to overload and reveal the cloaked ship.  
But long story short, Book knew this would probably mean trouble for the crew of Serenity. After communications were cut off by interference from increased solar activity the preacher made his way back toward the Firefly he called home.  
The walk back was long but as he strolled through a park he could hear voices and may God strike him down if he didn't recognise one of them.

"Inara, you are..." Mal breathed, Inara looked back at him, a mysterious smile lighting up her face.  
"Do go on, don't stop, you're being so romantic." She giggled as Mal walked into the clearing with her. Reaching out, he longed to touch her, to make sure this was real and not some twisted dream he was having. Her skin was warm and soft. She moaned softly in response, her hand covering his.  
"Mmm, you're cold, captain." He noticed the Goosebumps on her arm. Taking his jacket off, he handed it to her.  
"I didn't realise it was s'cold, take it, please." He placed the jacket on her shoulders. He was about to lead her toward the path when a familiar voice stopped him, grinning he turned to face the preacher.

"Captain, what a coincidence!" Shepard Book said as he approached.  
"'Tis indeed." Mal replied, a little confused. Inara waved.  
"Good evening, my lady. You look positively wonderful." Book nodded his head.  
"So what brings you out this way?" Mal asked.  
"Well I was walking back from the temple and this park just happens to be right in-between the temple and the ship." Mal scooped Inara up. She was pretty light considering how much she had eaten. The two men began walking toward Serenity.  
"I heard Inara's voice and I thought I would prefer to walk the rest of the way with company."  
Mal shrugged, a feat that was made difficult by having a beautiful young woman cradled in his arms, couldn't fault his reasoning. Inara sighed contentedly and promptly fell asleep. Mal shifted her weight ever so slightly.

"How did the prayin' go then?" Mal asked as they left the park behind and entered the dockland. Alliance officers gave them strange looks but upon seeing a finely dressed couple and a preacher they thought nothing of it.  
Book nodded, "It was... normal, lots of prostrating, as you would undoubtedly expect." They both chuckled.  
"I thought it would be wise to share this also," Book stated, Mal looked at him for a moment.  
"Reavers seem to be gettin' a mite fidgety, knowing our luck, well, we wouldn't want to know."  
Mal thought that over.  
"I appreciate the warnin' but how did you learn that?" Mal asked, unsure as to where Book could have found that sort of thing out.  
"It's amazing what you can discover at holy places, temples especially. Divine knowledge can strike from any direction." Mal laughed quietly. He wouldn't get a straight answer out of the man so there was no point in hounding him.

Less than ten minutes later they arrived outside Serenity, The cargo ramp was already lowered and a lone figure awaited them at the foot of the ramp. River's particular physique was unmistakable and as they approached they could make her out.  
"What are you doin' up at this hour little one?" Mal asked, his arms tired from hauling Inara.  
"Bedbugs?" Book asked. River smiled quickly.  
"Is she alright?" River asked, glancing noticeably at the comatose Inara.  
"Yeah, she just had too much drink." Mal replied.  
River produced a metal bedpan seemingly from nowhere and held it just under Mal's elbow.  
"Move your arm." She ordered. Mal moved his arm and as if by magic Inara woke and instantly retched into the pan. Book's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.  
"Don't stare, it's rude." River admonished. Book looked away.  
Inara looked up, and noticed River. She smiled sleepily.  
"Thanks." She mumbled. River nodded her acknowledgment.

"Goodnight everyone, Captain." Shepard Book said as he disappeared to his quarters. Mal and River ascended the stairs to Inara's shuttle.

"Put her down Mal." River ordered again.  
Mal muttered under his breath.  
"Yes I will be giving orders or your gorram boat." She replied shortly.  
Mal blinked and set Inara on her feet.  
"Wait here." River said. Mal didn't dare move a muscle.

Five minutes later River re-emerged from the shuttle.  
"You can go in now."  
"That a fact?" Mal asked. Obviously confused.  
"Be nice." She chided.  
Mal walked into the shuttle and closed the door behind him. Engaging the lock he let out a sigh of relief, everything was under control again.

"Mal?" A sleepy voice called out.  
Ok, everything was _not _in control.  
"I'm here." He said, sitting on the bed and taking her hand. Inara's eyelids fluttered as she fought sleep.  
"Will you stay with me tonight?" Her question was simple. Mal didn't know what to say. Her eyes pleaded with him silently.

Mal opened his mouth to reply.

**What is his decision?  
Leave a review, I enjoy feedback, good or bad but constructive. Next chapter reveals all... More or less.**


	6. Not Chapter 6: Author's Note

Author here again.  
Ok, for some reason FF won't let me save editions I make to chapters to sort the paragraphs out. Sorry if it's hard to read. I'll keep working on it.


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